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Winner - Round 12



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Winner - Round 10



Winner - Round 9



Title: To Sunrise from Indigo
Author: Jenny
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Pairing: Kyle/Isabel
Rating: MATURE
Summary: Ten years post-Cry Your Name, Isabel is living in San Francisco, far removed from her family and former friends. When she gets set up on a blind date with none other than her old friend Kyle, it sets her on a collision course with her past, and brings shocking truths to light.
Author’s Note: This follows show canon through Cry Your Name. Forget everything after that. Tess did not kill Alex - his death really was an accident. Oh, and the title comes from one of the bestest songs ever, “Out There” by Sister Hazel.

I dedicate this story to some very special people. To truelovepooh, whose *coughnotsosubtlecough* hints for another In Crowder fic motivated me to get moving on this idea that’s been rolling around in my head forever. To kerri240879, who has been a wonderful and patient beta through my last four stories. And to all the In Crowders out there, I hope you enjoy.


If it’s to be that there’s just no one for me
I will try not to cry much so no one will see
But if it’s to be that there is anyone for me
Our hearts will shine so everyone will see
So maybe if you’re free, I could use a friend
Just to talk to me

Spent most of my life without anyone near
Never cared what happened, I never saw clear
But I’m getting older now and I’m thinking of my end
And to leave without love or without a friend
I’ve got some time, so maybe if you’re free
I could use a friend before I die

If she’s out there somewhere-somewhere
I would give everything to know
Just to hold and to finally have her
Take me to sunrise from indigo

~Sister Hazel, “Out There”

Part 1

“Ms. Evans, you have a call on line one.”

Isabel Evans glanced up from the notes she was jotting down from her last session and looked at the pretty face of Madison Eicher, her student assistant in the guidance office. “Thank you, Madison,” she said with a smile. Then, glancing at her watch, she said, “Last period’s almost over. You can go ahead and leave if you want.”

Madison smiled in return and said, “Thanks, Ms. Evans. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” Isabel replied. Madison had been Isabel’s student assistant for her first two years at Southern Mateo Day School and had been a huge help as Isabel got settled into her job as a guidance counselor. Isabel had to admit that she was going to be sad to see Madison go when she graduated in May, but she knew the girl had a bright future ahead of her, and couldn’t help but hope that maybe she had a little hand in that.

Isabel smiled to herself as she thought about what a fulfilling experience her job had been thus far. Back in her own high school days, she would have predicted herself to someday be a model or perhaps a famous fashion designer, not a high school guidance counselor on the sunny California coast. But Isabel wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Turning her attention to the telephone on her desk, she picked up the receiver and pressed the button to pick up the call on line one. “Isabel Evans,” she answered.

“Girl, do you ever get a free minute?” a giggly voice retorted back, quite a contrast to Isabel’s professional greeting. “I have been trying to call you all day!”

Isabel chuckled as she instantly recognized the friendly voice of Emma Freeman, her neighbor and best friend in the big city of San Francisco. “I told you I was going to be busy with a lot of students this week,” Isabel responded good-naturedly. “I’m trying to make sure they all meet their scholarship deadlines.”

Isabel and Emma had met their freshman year of college, shortly after Isabel’s arrival in San Francisco. Despite their differences, they became instant friends and were inseparable for the subsequent four years. After graduation, they stayed in contact and helped each other out through periods of unemployment, bad dates, and birthdays and holidays. Isabel watched as Emma met and fell in love with Aidan, her husband of three years, and served as maid of honor in their wedding. Then, after landing her job at the high school, Emma and Aidan had helped Isabel secure an apartment in their upscale building, conveniently located right across the hall from theirs.

Isabel could honestly say that she never would have survived life on her own if it hadn’t been for Emma. When she first arrived in San Francisco, Isabel missed her family and friends a lot more than she had anticipated she would. It was incredibly difficult being away from Max and Michael for the first time in their young lives, but she knew that staying in Roswell after everything that had happened would be even more difficult. And while she parted on good terms with everyone (even Max, who finally relented and admitted that he trusted her to make her own decisions) and visited every year at Christmas, contact over the years had become more and more infrequent. Emma and Aidan had become Isabel’s family, and though she felt lonely at times, she couldn’t wish for two better people to call her friends.

Emma and Aidan were as different as night and day, but together they were a beautiful unit. Emma was very much a free spirit, following wherever her heart told her to go. Her one true love was theatre, and she hoped to one day perform on Broadway. In the meantime, she performed in many local productions and served as vice-president of the community theatre group.

Aidan was the complete opposite of Emma, probably perceived by some as uptight, but Isabel knew that he could loosen up if he really wanted to. He actually reminded her a lot of Max, which was partly what made him so likable to her. He was an officer with the San Francisco Police Department and took his job very seriously. Emma always worried about him and hated it when he worked late nights, but she knew that he loved his work, and as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered. They really made quite a lovely pair, and anyone who met them could tell how in love they were.

Isabel, on the other hand, hadn’t gotten serious with anyone since Alex’s death almost ten years ago. She’d been on a handful of dates here and there, but would never pursue anything very far. In fact, other than Emma and Aidan, Isabel mostly kept to herself, and that was more than fine with her. She got along great with her coworkers and was friendly with new people, but she always kept herself guarded. She did tend to get lonely from time to time, and even a bit envious of Emma and Aidan’s relationship, but she told herself it was better that way. She wasn’t going to set herself up to get hurt again, or let anyone else suffer because of what she was.

Speaking of what she was, that was about the only thing that Emma didn’t know about Isabel, and Isabel intended to keep it that way. In fact, Emma knew very little about Isabel’s past, but she never pushed Isabel for more information, which was one of the reasons why Isabel was so fond of her. After Alex’s death, she, Max, Michael, and Tess made a promise to each other that no one else would be let into the ‘I Know an Alien Club,’ and that was perfectly fine with Isabel. She didn’t even use her powers anymore unless absolutely necessary, and she rather enjoyed doing things the human way.

“So, what’s so important that you have been trying to reach me all day?” Isabel asked Emma.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing really… why?” Isabel asked, wondering what crazy scheme Emma had up her sleeve now. She was forever coming up with wild ideas on the spur of the moment. Like the time a couple of years ago when she had actually convinced Isabel to go skydiving with her. Isabel smiled wistfully at the memory. Isabel Evans skydiving… who would have ever guessed?

“There’s a guy I want you to meet,” Emma replied.

At that, Isabel groaned. Skydiving she could handle. Dating, not so much. “Oh, Em, come on.”

“You come on, Isabel. He’s Aidan’s new partner, and he’s new in town and he doesn’t know anybody. I thought it might be nice if we all went out on a double date.”

“You always want me to go out on blind dates,” Isabel complained.

“And you always say no,” Emma retorted. “Why is that, Iz? You know any guy would give his right arm to go out with you. Why do you always do this?”

Emma had never been able to understand Isabel’s reluctance to get close to guys, and Isabel didn’t know how to make her understand without sounding like a freak. Most of the time, Emma was pretty supportive, but every now and then, she could get unusually persistent.

“Come on, Isabel,” Emma said, softening her tone. “He’s really sweet and funny, and I think you two would really hit it off. Plus, he’s HOT.” She emphasized the last word, and Isabel couldn’t help but laugh. “Please, Isabel? Pleeeeeeease?”

“Oh, well, now you’re just whining,” Isabel said with a chuckle.

“Isabeeeeeeeeeeeel,” Emma whined more insistently, eliciting another laugh from her friend.

“Oh, all right!” Isabel finally relented, and she could just picture Emma jumping for joy on the other end of the phone. “I’ll go, I’ll go… just please don’t ever say my name like that again.”

Emma laughed in response and said, “Yay! Oh, okay. I’ll call Aidan and tell him that we’ll all go out to dinner on Saturday night. Oh, I’m so excited! You’re going to love Kyle, Iz, I promise.”

Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of the name, as it always did whenever anything reminded her of her past in Roswell. Jeez, Isabel, chill out, she told herself. It’s a pretty common name after all. But just for clarity’s sake, she asked Emma, “What did you say his name was?”

“Kyle,” Emma repeated. “Kyle Valenti.”

I know you all have questions (and will probably have even more after this part lol), but I promise they'll all be answered in due time. I really do appreciate you all taking the time to read and respond, the fb helps more than you can know. I hope you enjoy the next part.

Part 2

“Yes, Emma, I promise I’ll ask him as soon as I get off the phone… Yes, I know… Yes, I’ll call you later…”

Kyle Valenti couldn’t help the snigger that escaped his lips as he listened to Aidan Freeman’s side of a cell phone conversation with his young wife. He’d briefly met Emma Freeman right after he’d started working with Aidan, and knew that she could be quite the talker.

“Okay…” Aidan continued. “Okay… I love you too… Bye.” Aidan flipped his cell phone shut and shook his head with a good-natured smile.

“Everything all right?” Kyle asked him.

“Oh, yeah, fine,” Aidan responded. “Actually, I might as well have let her talk to you.”

Kyle cocked an eyebrow curiously at his partner, and Aidan answered his unasked question. “My lovely wife the matchmaker wants to set you up on a blind date.”

“Oh god,” Kyle groaned with a roll of his eyes. There was nothing he hated worse than being set up.

“Yeah, I know, man, but I promised I’d at least ask you,” Aidan said with sympathy. “She’s a friend of ours… Emma went to college with her and now she lives in the apartment across the hall from us. She and Emma are practically like sisters.”

“I don’t know, Aidan…”

“Come on. She’s really nice, and pretty too. Emma seems to think you two would really hit it off. I mean, how bad could it be?”

“Easy for you to say,” Kyle grumbled. “You’re already married. You don’t have to play these dating games anymore.”

Kyle couldn’t even remember the last good date he’d been on. He’d still been living in Roswell up until this move to Frisco, and there just weren’t many girls to be had in the small town. Most of them were people he’d known since grade school anyway, who weren’t lucky enough to get away after graduation. He’d even had a brief fling with the infamous Pam Troy a few years ago, but quickly made his escape after she’d practically proposed marriage to him after only three dates.

But this was a new city after all, and Kyle had yet to really meet anyone other than his co-workers. What could it hurt to let Emma set him up on one blind date? Besides, Emma and Aidan were both really nice, and Kyle figured they probably had pretty good judgment when it came to other people. So Kyle relented and said to Aidan, “What’s she like? Tell me about her.”

“Well,” Aidan began, “she’s your age, 28 I think, and she’s a guidance counselor at one of the high schools. She’s not from here; she just moved here for college and ended up staying. Um… she keeps to herself a lot, but she’s not really shy. She’s got a great personality once you get to know her – very outgoing and genuine. And don’t you dare tell Emma I said this, but she’s really hot, dude.”

Kyle laughed heartily as his brain conjured up an image of Emma hitting Aidan upside the head for saying her best friend was hot. The girl didn’t sound too bad from Aidan’s description, and Kyle once again asked himself what it could hurt to go out on one date with her. “What’s her name?” Kyle asked.

“Isabel Evans,” Aidan responded.

Kyle nearly choked and his eyes grew wide in surprise. Did he just say…? “I’m sorry, did you just say Isabel Evans?”

“Yeah,” Aidan said, giving Kyle a puzzled look. “Why, you know her or something?”

Kyle chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, I went to high school with her.”

“No kidding! Small world, huh?”

Small world indeed. When Kyle had gotten this transfer to San Francisco, a small part of him had hoped that Isabel might still be around the area, and he had considered looking her up once he got settled in. Not only was she still around, but he was being set up on a date with her! Kyle smiled at his good fortune. He’d just found a small piece of home in this strange new city.

Kyle had only seen Isabel once or twice in the ten years since she’d left Roswell. He knew she visited her folks every Christmas, but she never stayed for more than a few days. He’d run into her at the grocery store once while she was home, and they’d talked for a few minutes. Another year, he’d seen her at the Crashdown, but they’d both been in a hurry and hadn’t had time for anything more than a quick hello.

Their small group had never really been the same after Alex’s death at the end of their Junior year. Everyone kind of dealt with things in their own way, and the rift that was caused by Liz’s insistence that Alex’s death wasn’t an accident never quite healed. Isabel had taken off for college right after her early graduation, and Kyle didn’t even know what had transpired between her and the others before she left. And even though he and Isabel had never been all that close, he couldn’t deny how much he missed her presence once she was gone.

It would be nice to see her again after all these years, and to really be able to talk with her and catch up. He was very curious to know what she’d been up to, and how she’d come to meet Emma and Aidan… and he couldn’t help but wonder if they knew about her otherworldly status. He doubted it, but Aidan did say that Isabel and Emma were like sisters. Kyle was actually fairly surprised that Isabel had become so close with someone, but he was glad that she’d had someone to be her friend and companion in this big city.

“So I can tell Emma that you’ll go on the date?” Aidan asked, interrupting Kyle from his walk down memory lane.

Kyle couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “Yeah, you can definitely tell her I’ll go.”

***

Later that afternoon, Isabel pulled her car into a parking spot in front of her apartment building. Her mind was still reeling from her earlier phone conversation with Emma. Kyle was in San Francisco. What were the odds? A small part of her wondered if maybe he’d planned it, but then she shook her head, telling herself that was just ridiculous. She and Kyle and barely spoken since she left Roswell… why would he come looking for her?

Though she had to admit that was fairly excited at the prospect of seeing him again. Even though she tried to avoid facing her past, she’d always held a special place in her heart for Kyle Valenti. He’d always been helpful in alien crises back in high school, even though he’d had a hard time dealing with it at first. And no one could ever make her laugh like Kyle had. Even in the direst situations, he knew just how to lighten the mood without being inappropriate.

He’d been there for her after Alex’s death – more so than anyone else had. When she’d announced her intent of going to San Francisco for college, he was the only one who had been supportive from the get-go. She’d only seem him a couple of times since then, and both times had been so rushed that they hadn’t even had a chance to really catch up. She didn’t even know that he’d followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued a career in law enforcement.

Getting out of her car, she smiled as she realized that she really was excited to see him again – and for more than just a few passing minutes this time. I guess I picked the right time to say yes to one of Emma’s set-ups, she thought to herself.

Isabel gathered all of her things together and shut the car door behind her, pressing the lock button on her keyless entry to activate the alarm. She stopped by her mailbox and grabbed the stack of envelopes inside, then made her way to the elevator to take her to her third floor apartment. Once she arrived at her door, she put the key in the lock, nearly dropping her armload of things in the process. Freckles, her white and orange-haired cat, greeted her at the door. He immediately started rubbing up against her legs, meowing a hello.

“Hey, baby,” Isabel cooed to her pet, dropping her things on the table by the door and reaching down to rub his head. “Are you hungry?”

The cat meowed in response, almost as if he could understand her question. Isabel went into the kitchen to open up a can of his food, and after he was happily eating, she sat down on one of the barstools and began to sort through the day’s mail. “Bills, bills, bills,” she mumbled to herself as she tossed each envelope back onto the counter.

At the bottom of the stack was a slightly larger, heavier envelope, and Isabel immediately recognized it as being a wedding invitation. With a puzzled look, she asked aloud, “Who do I know that’s getting married?” She turned the envelope over to look for a return address, and murmured an, “Oh,” when she saw that it was from none other than Liz Parker.

Isabel immediately tore into the envelope and a small smile crossed her face. Were Liz and Max finally tying the knot, after all these years? She pushed aside the small stab of jealousy that she felt, and carefully lifted the invitation out of the envelope. As her eyes skimmed the elegant text, her mouth opened in an inaudible gasp and she blinked a couple of times to make sure she was reading it correctly. This couldn’t be right… could it?

Liz was getting married to Sean DeLuca.

Thank you so much for the awesome fb, Polia, aussietasha77, Christian, Pooh, kitkat405, roswck, and suicide eagle rath! I see we have some mixed reviews on the Liz and Sean pairing. Hope you all enjoy the next part, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

Author’s Note: I would just like to state that I know next to nothing about the area of San Francisco (though Vignette is a real restaurant, because I looked it up on the Internet), nor do I know anything about how police officers transfer from one city to another. So just go with what I’ve got.

Part 3

Isabel must have sat there for a good ten minutes staring at the invitation in her hand. Liz and Sean? When had that happened? Why hadn’t Max told her? Thinking back on it, Isabel realized that she hadn’t actually seen Liz and Max together for quite some time, but Max had never mentioned that they were no longer a couple. What had her relationship with her brother come to that she didn’t even know that he and Liz had broken up?

Placing the invitation back inside the envelope, she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Scrolling through the brief list of phone numbers in the directory, she pulled up Max’s number and hit send. It had been a long time since she’d called him out of the blue, but she just really felt the need to talk to him.

The phone rang several times before Isabel heard Max’s voice-mail greeting. “You’ve reached Max Evans. I’m unable to answer the phone right now, but if you’ll leave a message, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks.” Isabel hung up without leaving a message.

It then occurred to Isabel that maybe Kyle would know. He’d still been in Roswell all this time, after all. He and Max were never best buddies, obviously, but perhaps he and Liz still kept in touch. That’s it, Isabel told herself. I’ll ask Kyle when we go on our date Saturday night.

Her lips curved upward in a smile at that thought. She had a “date” with Kyle. Who would have ever thought?

***

“Babe, have you seen my watch?”

“I think you left it next to the sink in the bathroom… the same place you always leave it.”

Emma winked at her husband as he went to the bathroom in search of his watch. It was Saturday evening, and they were getting ready to go on their double date with Isabel and Kyle. Emma was so happy that she’d convinced Isabel to go – she knew it would be good for her.

“Are you about ready to go?” Aidan asked, walking back into the bedroom.

“Almost,” Emma replied, opening up her jewelry box to select a pair of earrings to wear. Deciding on a pair of simple silver hoops, she fastened them in place and said, “I’m so glad that Iz and Kyle both agree to this. It’ll be good for them to see each other again.”

“So Isabel told you they went to high school together?”

“Oh, yeah, she did,” Emma replied, glancing at Aidan. “That’s funny, huh?”

“It’s a small world after all,” Aidan chuckled.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Emma said, looking in the mirror and feeling satisfied with her appearance. “Let’s go do this.”

***

Kyle stood outside of Vignette, a chic new restaurant in Union Square, waiting impatiently for his friends to arrive. He paced back and forth in anticipation of seeing Isabel. He’d been looking forward to this since Aidan had asked him about it earlier in the week. He hadn’t really known whether to treat this as a real “date” or just a casual meeting with an old friend, and had almost acted like a girl, fretting over what to wear. He’d finally decided on casual, and had selected a nice pair of khakis and a dark blue button-up collared shirt.

After what felt like an hour (but was really only a few minutes), he saw Aidan and then Emma coming down the sidewalk toward him. Behind them, he caught his first glimpse of Isabel, and she looked radiant, like life in San Francisco really agreed with her. She was clad in a simple pink dress that fell to her knees, and her heeled shoes added to her already elevated height. Her hair was a brighter blonde than he remembered, and fell in loose ringlets around her shoulders, the sides help up with jeweled barrettes. Looking at her, Kyle couldn’t help but wonder if all the teenage boys had a crush on the hot guidance counselor. To put it simply, she was stunning.

“Kyle,” Isabel greeted him with a warm smile, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

“It’s so good to see you,” he murmured in her ear as he hugged her back just as tightly, the faint scent of her floral perfume drifting to his nose.

“I guess introductions are unnecessary,” Emma joked when Isabel and Kyle finally parted.

Isabel laughed and responded, “Yeah, Kyle and I knew each other in high school. I can’t believe you’re here!”

“I’ll tell you all about it over dinner,” he said. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving!”

Aidan heartily agreed with Kyle, and the foursome happily entered the restaurant and was soon settled at a cozy corner table. The conversation flowed freely throughout the meal, and before any of them realized it, their bellies were full and nearly three hours had gone by.

“I guess we should get going before they kick us out,” Aidan said after the checks had been paid and the table cleared.

“I can’t believe it’s so late already!” Isabel exclaimed as they all rose from their chairs and headed toward the restaurant exit.

“Yeah, we should get home,” Emma said. “I have a lot of theatre stuff to work on tomorrow. Are you coming with us?” she asked Isabel.

“Actually, I’d like to hang out with Kyle a little longer, if that’s okay,” Isabel responded, looking at Kyle.

“Yeah, I’ll walk her home,” Kyle said with a nod.

“All right, sweetie, I’ll see you later,” Emma said, giving Isabel a brief hug.

“Thank you,” Isabel whispered in her ear.

“Anytime, girl.”

“See you guys. Thanks!” Kyle said as Emma and Aidan waved goodbye.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Isabel said to Kyle. “I just really wanted to spend some more time with you, alone.”

“Me too,” Kyle said. “You wanna walk?”

“Yeah, let’s walk,” Isabel said, linking her arm through his, and they began a leisurely stroll down the sidewalk. “So, you never did tell me how you wound up in San Francisco.”

“Well, about six months ago,” Kyle began, “the chief announced that he needed some transfer volunteers and passed around a list of PDs that needed officers. I had been feeling a little restless for a while, and thought a change of scenery might do me good, so I put in my name to volunteer. When I saw Frisco was on the list, I made it my first choice for transfer, because I figured you might still be around here. And here you are, and here I am.”

Isabel smiled as she realized that her earlier suspicion that Kyle had planned this hadn’t been totally off base. “Well, I’m really glad you’re here,” she said, giving his arm a squeeze. “How are things in Roswell, by the way?” she asked.

“Same old, same old, I guess,” Kyle replied. “I haven’t really kept in contact much with everyone over the last couple of years.”

“Did you know that Liz and Sean are getting married?”

“Oh, yeah, I know all about that,” he said.

“What happened to Liz and Max? When did they break up?”

“You didn’t know?” Kyle asked, sounding surprised. “They haven’t been together for years now.”

“Really?” Isabel’s mouth opened in shock. “How could I not have known? What happened? And how did she end up with Sean?”

“Well, Liz and Max did get back together shortly after you left town,” Kyle told her. “They stayed together for a couple of years, even doing the long distance thing for a while while they were in college, but things were just never really the same between them after Alex died.” Kyle paused and glanced at Isabel, hoping he wasn’t dredging up old demons with the mention of her former boyfriend. When she didn’t seem phased, he continued on. “You know Liz and Sean had gotten pretty close since he came back to Roswell, and by the time she and Max broke up, Liz was practically spending more time with Sean than with Max. After the break-up, she and Sean just got closer, and the rest is history.”

“Are you going to their wedding?”

“Most likely,” Kyle replied. “You?”

“I don’t know,” Isabel said thoughtfully. “I got the invitation this week, but it just seems kind of weird… like I’d be betraying Max or something.”

“Max seems to be fine with it,” Kyle told her. “I mean, he and Liz are still on fairly good terms.”

“Is Max seeing anyone?” Isabel asked.

“Don’t know,” Kyle replied with a casual shrug. “You should go to the wedding. I know everyone would love to see you.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Well, enough about Roswell,” Kyle said, attempting to change the subject. “What have you been up to in this big, classy city?”

Isabel gave him a genuine smile and said, “Oh, there’s not much to tell. I work as a guidance counselor at Southern San Mateo Day School… this is my second year there. It’s a great job. I really love it.”

“I’m glad,” Kyle said. “You look really happy, Iz.”

“Thanks.”

“Emma and Aidan seem nice.”

“Yeah, they’re great,” Isabel said with a nod. “They’re like family to me.”

“I admit I was kinda surprised when Aidan told me how close you guys were. Do they know…?”

“No,” Isabel answered hastily. “No, they don’t know. But I’m okay with that,” she said, though Kyle thought he detected a hint of regret in her voice. “I can’t even explain how Emma and I got so close so fast, because that’s so unusual for me. But when I met her, we just clicked. It was like I was drawn to her, like we were destined to be friends. When I met her, I just knew I could trust her, you know?”

“I’m glad that you have someone like that,” Kyle told her.

“Me too.” They stopped walking and Isabel turned to Kyle. “Well, this is me,” she said, gesturing to the building in front of them.

“I had a really good time tonight,” Kyle told her.

“I did too,” Isabel responded, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. “I know I’ve already said it like a thousand times, but I’m really glad you’re here.”

“And I’m glad you’re here,” he replied with a wink.

“Hey, do you want to do something tomorrow?” Isabel asked. “If you’re not busy.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

“Okay,” Isabel said, and she reached into her purse for one of her business cards and a pen, jotting her home number on the back of it. “This is my number. Just give me a call in the morning.”

“Will do,” Kyle replied, taking the card and tucking it securely into his pocket. “Night, Iz.”

“Good night, Kyle,” she said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

Kyle waited on the sidewalk until she was safely inside the building, and then headed off to his own home, whistling happily to himself.

Thanks for the fb, guys. It is much appreciated. I was going to wait and post the next part on Sunday as I've been doing, but it's ready, so I thought I'd go ahead and post... and Pooh's offer of bribes has nothing to do with it, I swear.

suicide_eagle_rath, thank you! Glad you enjoyed.
aussietasha77, thanks!
Christian, you know I'm a Dreamer at heart, so I couldn't totally destroy Max and Liz. And who knows what might happen in the future? Thanks for reading.
Pooh, I promise to eventually fix things with Max and Isabel, though it may be a while. Glad you enjoyed their date, and I think you'll like this part as well. It's solely K/I interaction.

Author’s Note: This part’s mostly transitional, to show the developing friendship between Isabel and Kyle, so not much action in it, I’m afraid, but you will learn some new info. Also, I borrowed a line from A Tale of Two Parties.

Part 4

“And then the quarterback said, ‘Throw me the chicken,’ and I did.”

Isabel burst out laughing at the punch line of one of Kyle’s many outrageous stories. In the two weeks since their “date,” she’d heard scores of them. Not that she minded – Kyle never failed to make her laugh, after all.

It was late on a Saturday afternoon, and Isabel and Kyle were lounging around her apartment. They’d spent a great deal of time together over the past couple of weeks, making time to hang out whenever their work schedules allowed it. They’d reminisced about high school days, and filled each other in on what they’d been up to over the last decade. Kyle had many stories of awful dates and stupid criminals, and Isabel had some amusing tales of college life. As much as Isabel treasured her friendship with Emma, it was really nice to have someone new to share her experiences with.

When her laughter subsided, Isabel said, “I can’t believe how much you’ve changed since then. Are you still practicing Buddhism?”

“Eh, not as much. I still have my books that I read every once in a while, and my statue of course, but it mostly stays in the closet,” he said with a grin.

Isabel smiled and said, “I remember when you used to spout off all those quirky little sayings all the time. Can’t say that I miss that,” she said with a smirk.

Kyle laughed and shook his head. “I did go a bit overboard for a while there, didn’t I?”

“Just a little.” Isabel smiled. “I guess I can understand though. The alien invasion was probably a lot to take. I remember one time when I dreamwalked you…”

“Whoa, wait a second,” Kyle interrupted. “You dreamwalked me? When?”

“Oh,” Isabel said sheepishly, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Sometimes back in high school when I got bored, I would pull out my yearbook and dreamwalk people. Not my finest moments, I admit.”

“You don’t do that anymore, do you?” Kyle asked, looking slightly concerned.

“No,” Isabel said with a definitive shake of her head. “Why, Mr. Valenti, what exactly are you dreaming about?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“Don’t worry,” Isabel said, giving his arm a patronizing pat. “Your secrets are safe from me.”

“I’ll tell you one of my secrets if you tell me one of yours,” Kyle said.

Isabel just eyed him suspiciously.

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Kyle encouraged her. “It doesn’t have to be anything really personal… just something you wouldn’t tell a casual acquaintance. Bonus points if it’s an embarrassing secret.”

“Bonus points? Are we keeping score or something?” Isabel asked with a laugh. She contemplated his idea momentarily and then said, “All right, deal. But you go first.”

“Okay,” Kyle agreed, then sat back on the couch and thought for a minute, as if deciding which of his deep, dark secrets he was going to share. “Oh, okay, I got one. Sometimes, when I have a free day or if I’m working a night shift, I like to watch soap operas.”

Isabel laughed so hard that she nearly fell off the couch. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, laugh it up,” Kyle responded affably. “Now it’s your turn. What’s your dirty little secret?”

Isabel, still trying to contain her laughter, thought for a moment about what she could tell Kyle. To be fair, it should be an embarrassing habit or something. “I don’t have any embarrassing habits,” she said.

“Come on, a deal’s a deal,” Kyle told her. “You gotta have something. All women do.”

Isabel playfully hit him with a throw pillow. “Pig,” she said.

He tossed the pillow back at her and she put her hands up in defense. “Technically I already told you a secret. You know, about me dreamwalking people in high school.”

“Nope, doesn’t count,” Kyle said with a shake of his head.

“Why not?”

“Because you told me that before we made the deal.” He smirked proudly. “Besides, whatever you saw when you dreamwalked me makes us even for that. So you have to tell me something else. Stop trying to get out of it.”

Isabel pretended to pout and folded her arms across her chest. “Fine,” she said. “Um… okay. Do you remember back in Freshman year of high school, when Pam Troy’s hair got dyed green, and she blamed Chloe Pearce for slipping something in her shampoo? She was convinced that Chloe was jealous of her because she was dating Chloe’s ex-boyfriend.”

“Yeah, who could forget that?” Kyle said with a laugh.

“I did that. I dyed her hair.”

Kyle laughed loudly. “Classic. Why’d you do it?”

“Pam was a bitch. She deserved it.”

“And you let Chloe take the fall?”

“Yeah, well, she was a bitch too,” Isabel said, and Kyle laughed.

“You were pretty sneaky back in high school, weren’t you?”

“Like I said, not my finest moments,” she said with a wry smile.

“All righty, so the score is tied,” Kyle said.

“The score?” Isabel questioned.

“Yeah, in our little secret sharing game. Care to keep going?”

Isabel rolled her eyes and said, “Fine, you go.”

“Okay, let’s make this round a little more interesting,” he said, rubbing his hands together as if plotting some evil ploy, and Isabel laughed despite her apprehension.

“One night about five or six years ago, Maria and I made out.”

“What?!” Isabel practically screeched.

Kyle laughed, as if that was the reaction he’d been expecting from her. “Yeah, it was during one of her off periods with Michael, and I’d just gotten back from a really bad date. We were both feeling a little lonely and depressed, and one thing led to another… and she’d kill me if she knew I was telling you this.”

“Oh my god. What happened?”

“Well, it didn’t go any further that a little fooling around, and we both felt pretty weird about it the next day. We chalked it up to a one-time thing, and never talked about it again.”

“Whoa,” Isabel breathed. “You and Maria. Liz and Sean. Who else has hooked up since I’ve been gone?”

Kyle just snorted and said, “Okay, your turn.”

Isabel looked at him warily and thought about what she could tell him in return. He’d just shared a pretty big secret, and Isabel had the feeling that she could trust him enough to share one of her big secrets. So she said, “Okay. This is something that I don’t even think Emma knows. Or at least she doesn’t know the details.”

Kyle looked intrigued, and Isabel carried on. “I lost my virginity during my Sophomore year of college. To a one-night stand.”

Kyle’s mouth opened in shock, and Isabel could tell that he hadn’t been expecting a secret of that caliber. But it felt good to get it off her chest. Emma knew she’d hooked up with a guy at a frat party during their Sophomore year, but she didn’t know that it had been Isabel’s first time.

Isabel went on to explain. “It was at a frat party that Emma and me and some other girls from the dorm went to. I guess it was a little like your thing with Maria… I was feeling lonely and depressed, and convinced that I was never going to find the real thing. I met this guy at the party, we talked for a while, he seemed nice, and we went back to his place and had sex. He was a little tipsy, so once he passed out, I snuck out. I never saw him again.”

“Oh god, Iz, I’m sorry,” Kyle said sympathetically.

“It’s okay,” Isabel responded with a sad smile. “I cried and beat myself up over it for a long time. But what’s done is done. We make our mistakes and live with them. And hopefully we learn from them.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Kyle said, “I guess that means you win.”

Isabel let out a little laugh. “Thanks.”

“I think that’s enough secrets for one day,” Kyle said, standing up. “How about I buy you dinner tonight?”

“That sounds great,” Isabel said, standing up as well. On impulse, she reached out and hugged Kyle, whispering, “Thank you,” into his ear.

“What was that for?” he asked.

Isabel smiled and said, “Just for being you. For being someone I can trust.”

Thanks for the fb, everyone! It is much appreciated.

roswck, thank you!
aussietasha77, you should have the answer to that question in the next few parts, hopefully.
Polia, thanks! We In Crowders gotta stick together, right?
Christian, the chicken line is the one from A Tale of Two Parties... I always wondered what Kyle was talking about when he said it. And yeah, I'd probably tell Kyle my secrets too.
Pooh, thanks darlin! I appreciate the continued support!

And thank you all very much for the birthday wishes! It really brought a smile to my face.

I must give mad props to Kerri, who is just the best beta EVA. This part would not be possible without her, so thanks girl! I love ya!!

Author’s Note: Just a little clarification on the last part… Maria and Kyle did not have sex. They just kissed, and maybe Kyle felt her up a little bit. Just wanted to make that clear. And for those of you who have asked about the fate of Maria and Michael’s relationship, you should have the answer to that in the next few parts.

This part deviated from what I originally had planned. It started out as outlined, but then took on a life of its own. Funny how that happens sometimes. Anyway, enjoy!

Part 5

Another couple of weeks flew by in a blur, and spring was beginning to set in. The weather was warming up, and all around flowers were blossoming and birds were chirping. Isabel loved this time of year, when the changing of the seasons seemed to make everything seem peaceful and full of hope. This year she was feeling especially content in her newfound friendship with Kyle. He’d brought something to her life that she hadn’t even known she’d been missing.

Kyle had asked her several times to come back to Roswell with him in a few weeks for Liz and Sean’s wedding. She’d finally relented and said yes, so they were going to fly down together for the weekend of the ceremony. Isabel had already called her parents to tell them she was coming, and they were as excited as if she’d told them she was coming home for good. They’d tried to convince her to stay for more than a few days, but she was only able to take a couple of days off of work.

Isabel had to admit to herself that despite her initial hesitation, she was somewhat excited at the prospect of going back and seeing everyone. When she visited at Christmas, she usually only saw her parents and Max and Michael, and occasionally she might bump into someone else. It had been a long time since she’d seen Maria or Liz or Tess, and other than what little Kyle had told her, she didn’t really know what they were up to these days.

“So what’s going on with you and Kyle?” Emma asked Isabel one afternoon as they were leaving a lunch date with Kyle and Aidan. The guys had just left in their squad car to finish their afternoon shift, and Isabel was going to drop Emma off at her apartment on her way back to work.

Isabel stared at Emma, momentarily caught off guard. “What do you mean, what’s going on with us? We’re friends.”

Emma laughed and said, “Not from where I was sitting.”

Isabel just rolled her eyes and said, “Your imagination is working overtime again, Em. You really should stop reading all those cheesy romance novels.” She opened her car door and climbed inside, while Emma seated herself on the passenger side. Starting the car, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the street, still heavy with lunchtime traffic.

“This is not my imagination, Isabel. Kyle totally has it bad for you.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Isabel replied. “You’re just trying to play matchmaker again.”

“I’m serious!” Emma exclaimed. “And I don’t think he’s the only one who has it bad.”

“What?” Isabel asked in an exasperated tone.

“You. You know, your whole face lights up every time he comes in the room. And just now, at lunch, our super cute waiter was totally flirting with you, and you didn’t even bat an eye.”

Isabel just looked over at Emma and rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t you two going to Liz’s wedding together?”

“Not together together. Not like on a date,” Isabel replied.

“Okay, whatever you say,” Emma said with a smirk. Changing the subject, she asked Isabel, “You looking forward to going home?”

“A little,” Isabel answered. Suddenly, she had an idea. “Hey, why don’t you come with me?”

“What?” Emma asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Isabel said, getting excited. “All these years we’ve been friends, and you’ve never come to Roswell with me.”

“Oh, I don’t know…”

“Come on, Em, it would be great! I’d love for you to meet my family, and I know they’d love to meet you. It’s not like you have to ask off from work or anything, and you could probably still get a seat on the same flight as Kyle and me… it wasn’t very full when we got our tickets.”

“Well…”

“Please, Em? Please?” Isabel looked at her with the best puppy dog eyes she could muster.

“Hey, that’s my trick!” Emma said with a laugh.

“Is it working?”

Emma looked thoughtful for a moment, and finally said, “All right, I’ll go.”

“Great! Oh, it’ll be so much fun! I’ll call my mom tonight and let her know you’ll be staying too.”

Isabel pulled the car to a stop in front of their apartment building, and said, “I’ll just call you later with the flight details.”

“Okay,” Emma replied, getting out of the car. “Talk to you later.”

“Bye.” Isabel waved as she drove away, heading back towards work. As she drove the short distance, her thoughts trailed back to what Emma had said about Kyle. Furrowing her brow, she wondered if Emma could possibly be right. Did Kyle have feelings for her that went beyond friendship? And what about her own feelings? She couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed spending time with him, but she’d never really stopped to consider how she felt about him. Even though it had only been about a month, Isabel could barely remember what her life was like before Kyle walked back into it.

But she knew that she didn’t want things any other way.

***

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Kyle headed towards the kitchen of his small, one-bedroom apartment when he heard the beep of the microwave, signaling that his leftover pizza was finished reheating. He pulled the plate out of the microwave, muttering an, “Ouch,” when it singed his fingers a tiny bit. Then, grabbing a beer from the fridge and turning on the television to ESPN, he was just about to take his first bite when he heard a knock at the door.

“Damnit,” he muttered, setting his plate and beer bottle down on a TV tray and stepping down the small set of stairs that led to his front door. Opening the door, he was surprised to find Isabel standing on the other side.

“Iz, hey!” he said. “What are you doing here? We didn’t have plans, did we?” he asked, hoping he’d hadn’t forgotten anything after his tiresome day.

“No,” Isabel said with a shake of her head. “I was just in the neighborhood. Can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry,” Kyle stumbled, opening the door wider and ushering her inside. He was happy to see her, though somewhat puzzled. Isabel lived clear on the other side of town… what would she be doing in his neighborhood?

They walked up the steps into his living room, and Kyle asked her, “Do you want something to eat? I’ve got leftover pizza.”

“No, I’m good,” Isabel answered. “Can we talk?”

“Sure,” Kyle said, gesturing towards the sofa for her to sit. He turned off the TV and put his food to the side. “Is everything okay?” he asked her.

“Kyle, do you have feelings for me?” Isabel blurted out.

“Wh-what?” Kyle asked in shock, momentarily dumbfounded.

“Please just be honest with me,” Isabel said, her eyes pleading.

Kyle could never refuse anything she asked, so he gulped and tried to quell the nervous feeling in his stomach, saying, “Yes. I do. I don’t know exactly when they started, but…”

“Shh…” Isabel said, placing a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. “You don’t have to explain. I just wanted to know is all.”

“That’s all?” Kyle asked, hoping she couldn’t detect the slight crack in his voice.

“Well, that and… I think I might have feelings for you too.”

Kyle shook his head to make sure he was hearing her correctly. “You what?”

He watched in stunned silence as Isabel blushed slightly, her fingers still resting lightly against his lips.

“I said… I think I have feelings for you too.”

Kyle hesitated before he spoke, the words escaping his mouth along with warm puffs of air against her fingers.

“You think… or you know?”

Isabel lowered her hand slowly, and spoke in a voice so soft that Kyle had to strain to make sure his ears weren’t deceiving him. “I know,” she whispered.

She lifted her gaze when Kyle bought her fingers back to his lips, and pressed a gentle kiss to the tips of her fingers. He smiled against her fingertips as she slipped her hand across his cheek, feeling the day’s stubble scrape her skin as she shifted closer to him.

“So what do we do now?” he whispered softly.

Isabel blushed as he reached out and cupped her cheek. She leaned into his palm slightly, a small smile crossing her face when he dragged his thumb across the corner of her lips.

In answer to that gentle caress, she tilted her face up slightly to his, the silent universal invitation. Kyle’s eyes fluttered shut when he felt her warm breath skitter across his face, a scant second before he closed the distance between them, gently pressing his lips to hers…

In two separate bedrooms, two bodies sat bolt upright up in bed, their chests heaving as they fought for breath. Kyle’s eyes gleamed in the darkness, and he flopped back down onto his bed with a small groan of frustration. It had felt so real!

Across town, Isabel felt her cheeks flame with both shock and desire. And as she sat in the darkness, a small smile crossed her face. Not only had it felt real, it had felt right.

And across the hall, Emma simply smiled, and tucked the photo of Kyle and Isabel away in the drawer of her nightstand. Maybe they would take that step on their own, now that the idea had been planted.

Thanks as always for all the awesome fb, everyone! It really brightens my day.

I actually wasn't planning on revealing the twist on Emma for several more parts, but Kerri suggested that ending for the last part, and I just thought it worked out really well. Unfortunately, I won't be going back to that issue just yet, so you'll have to wait a bit longer to find out just what her deal is.

Kerri, thanks love! You rock!
Christian, thanks! Think your enquiring mind can hold out for just a while longer?
Pooh, sorry for the evilness. Hope you enjoy this next part.
roswck, don't hurt me! Just a while longer 'til you get more answers about Emma.
aussietasha77, I'm glad you didn't see it coming. Mission accomplished!
Polia, thanks! Enjoy the next part.
killjoy, welcome to the story! Hope you can wait just a bit longer for the answer to your questions.

Author’s Note: Without giving too much away, I just wanted to say that I got some inspiration for this part from the Season 2 episode of Friends, The One Where Ross Finds Out, and the Season 8 episode, The One with the Cooking Class. (What can I say, I’ve been on a Friends kick lately. ) Enjoy!

Part 6

“Madison, I’m going out to lunch. I’ll be back in an hour or so,” Isabel told her student assistant on her way out of the office the next day.

“Okay, Ms. Evans, see you later,” Madison replied with a smile.

Kyle had called Isabel unexpectedly that morning wanting to meet her for lunch. It was an eerie coincidence, because she had been planning on calling him anyway. After last night’s dream, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. The dream was getting to her in a way that nothing ever had before. She didn’t even know what she wanted to do about it, but she knew that it meant something. She could feel it in her bones.

As she drove to Lori’s Diner, a fifties-style café that some of Kyle’s coworkers had recommended to him, she thought about what she was going to say to Kyle when she saw him. After her conversation with Emma the day before, and then last night’s unbelievably real dream, she’d been thinking a lot about how she felt about Kyle. And she’d come to the conclusion that she definitely felt something for Kyle that went beyond friendship… though she wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.

She also couldn’t help wondering about Kyle’s motives for calling her today. If Emma was right, and Kyle did have feelings for her, was he finally planning on confessing them? If he was, Isabel had no idea how she would react. This was brand new territory for her. It had been a long time since she’d had genuine feelings for anyone, let alone someone who was a friend. She had to laugh to herself as she remembered a time when dating was second nature to her. How things have changed, she thought to herself with a wry smile.

***

Kyle sat at a booth in Lori’s Diner, tapping his foot anxiously as he awaited Isabel’s arrival. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he just knew that after last night’s dream, he had to see her. It had felt so real, and he knew he couldn’t overlook it. He couldn’t ignore these feelings anymore.

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when he’d started to see Isabel as more than a friend. Who knows, maybe it had always been there. He remembered being attracted to her in high school (because, really, what boy at West Roswell High hadn’t had the hots for the stunning Isabel Evans?), but after the alien invasion, he hadn’t really thought about her that way anymore, and his entire dating social life took a nose-dive anyway. But over the course of the last month, she’d become more important to him than he ever could have imagined, and at some point, he’d developed these feelings for her. He wasn’t exactly sure yet what those feelings were or what it meant for their friendship, but he knew he needed to find out.

Kyle looked up when he heard the jingle of the door opening, and his heart leapt into his throat when he saw her enter. Was it possible that she just got more and more beautiful every time he saw her? She smiled and waved when she saw him, and Kyle tried to calm his nerves as she approached the booth. All right, Valenti, he coached himself, this is it.

Kyle stood up as Isabel walked up to the booth, and she greeted him with a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was the way she always greeted him, but now it felt strangely more intimate. She sat down in the booth, trying to calm the nervous butterflies that fluttered about in her stomach. It’s just lunch with Kyle, she told herself. You do this all the time. But even as she said it to herself, she knew that today was going to be very different.

“Hi,” she greeted him.

“Hey, thanks for coming on such short notice,” Kyle said.

“No problem,” she replied with a wave of her hand, just as the waitress walked up to take their order.

“Hi, I’m Hannah, and I’ll be your server today,” the girl said with a smile, though Isabel noticed that she mostly directed her greeting at Kyle. She was a pretty girl, probably in her early twenties, with silky dark hair and clear green eyes. Her smile showed deep dimples in both of her cheeks, and her uniform was very form fitting, with the top two buttons undone, showing off just a tad too much cleavage.

Isabel hated her instantly.

“I haven’t seen you in here before,” she said to Kyle. “Are you new on the force?”

“Oh yeah,” Kyle replied. “Started a little over a month ago. The guys told me this was a great place to eat.”

“Well, they told you right,” she said with a playful wink. “We get a lot of the officers in here for lunch and dinner. So, what can I get for you, Officer Valenti?” she asked, glancing at his name badge.

“Please, call me Kyle,” he said with a genuine smile.

Other the other side of the table, Isabel was practically fuming. Quickly turning on her Ice Princess mode, she cleared her throat obnoxiously. “Excuse me, Hannah, is it? Maybe you could just get us a couple of waters,” she said, shooting the girl a subtle glare.

“Sure,” Hannah replied, seemingly unfazed by Isabel’s curtness. “I’ll be right back.”

“What was that all about?” Kyle asked when Hannah walked away.

“What?” Isabel asked with feigned innocence.

“You were kinda short with the waitress.”

Isabel huffed and closed the menu she was perusing. “She was blatantly flirting with you! For all she knows, we could be on a date!”

Kyle looked at her with wide eyes. “Are we? On a date?”

“No,” Isabel replied, and then inwardly cringed at how abrupt her answer sounded. She recognized the hurt that briefly flitted across Kyle’s face, and tried to rectify her statement. “I mean, we’re just friends having lunch. Right?” she asked, hoping to goad him into a conversation about their relationship.

“Yeah, of course,” Kyle said, and Isabel’s face fell in disappointment. Maybe Emma had been wrong about Kyle’s feelings…

Kyle wanted to kick himself. This was not going the way he planned at all. But he couldn’t figure Isabel out. She seemed jealous that the waitress was flirting with him, but she insisted that they were just friends. Why couldn’t women ever be simple?

The waitress returned with their drinks, and Kyle tried his best not to return her flirting, though it was difficult. When a woman flirted with him, it was second nature for him to return the gesture. But he didn’t want to upset Isabel any more than he already had, so he just ordered his food and tried not to act overly interested in what Hannah was saying to him.

The rest of the meal was spent in awkwardness, and Kyle hated it, because they’d always been so comfortable around each other. Part of him just wanted to stand on top of the table and proclaim his feelings for her, but another part of him felt that he should just forget about it and let it go. This was obviously making things unnecessarily complicated between them, and he hated the tension that was now hanging in the air.

After finishing their meal, they went to the register to pay. Kyle insisted on picking up the entire check since lunch had been his idea. He wrote out a check and handed it to Hannah behind the counter. Glancing at his check for all the pertinent information, she said to Kyle, “Oh, I love the neighborhood you live in! You know, there’s this great Italian restaurant just around the corner from your building. Have you ever been there?”

“Unbelievable,” Kyle heard Isabel mutter behind him.

“Uh, no,” Kyle said to Hannah.

“Well, if you ever want to try it out, let me know,” she said, her smile causing her dimples to show prominently.

“Yeah, thanks,” Kyle said, taking his receipt. He could practically see the smoke coming out of Isabel’s ears.

He and Isabel quickly exited the diner, but not before Isabel cast one last icy glare at Hannah, who seemed completely oblivious. And maybe Kyle was hearing things, but he thought he heard the word “slut” escape Isabel’s lips as they walked through the door.

“Well, I’m gonna go back to work,” Isabel said once they were outside, and she started walking to her car.

“Iz, wait!” Kyle called. He couldn’t stand to leave things like this.

“What?” she asked, turning around.

“What’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you act like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like… like you’re jealous.” There, he said it.

A look of horror momentarily crossed Isabel’s face, but she recovered quickly. “I’m not jealous. That girl,” she said with disdain, “was just totally inappropriate.”

“Then why do things feel different between us?” he asked bluntly.

Kyle wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t notice the new tension between them. They’d always been honest with each other… and he had no intention of stopping now.

Isabel’s shoulders sagged in defeat, and her face softened. She didn’t want to fight with Kyle… god, that was the last thing she wanted. What she wanted was to tell him how she felt. That she couldn’t stop thinking about him. That she wanted to be more than just his friend. That she had wanted to scratch Hannah’s eyes out when she was flirting with him.

“Okay,” Isabel said with a deep breath. “I think I might… have these… feelings for you. You know… feelings.” She closed her eyes and took another breath, willing her heart to calm down. When she opened her eyes a moment later, Kyle still hadn’t said anything, and was just standing there with a shell-shocked expression on his face.

Feeling unnerved, Isabel said, “Kyle, say something, please.”

In response, Kyle simply reached out and pulled her body to his, seconds before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.

Thanks for the fb, guys!

aussietasha77, thanks! I had fun writing jealous Isabel.
Christian, thanks! I agree, the show definitely needed more In Crowder action. This is one ranks at the top of my list of favorite ships too.
Polia, hope it was worth the wait.
Pooh, thanks dear!
roswck, thanks for the continued support!


Part 7

Isabel’s body reacted on instinct when Kyle’s lips crashed upon hers. She brought her hands up to cup his face as his hands gripped her tightly around the waist. Isabel closed her eyes and parted her lips, allowing his tongue to gently caress hers.

The kiss seemed to go on forever, until they both parted breathlessly. Their gazes locked for what felt like an eternity, and Isabel felt her cheeks flame under the scrutiny of Kyle’s intense blue eyes.

“That was…” Kyle began, but left the sentence hanging, as if he couldn’t find the words to describe what had just happened.

“Yeah,” Isabel responded breathlessly, equally speechless.

“There’s so much I want to say, but I’m a little weak in the knees,” Kyle spoke honestly, reaching up to run a hand through her hair, the other hand still resting at her waist.

Isabel giggled softly and said, “I know there’s some stuff we need to talk about. And I have to go back to work…”

“Meet me for dinner tonight?” Kyle asked.

“Okay,” Isabel replied, almost before he even finished asking the question. “Seven o’clock? At that little bistro on Powell Street?”

“I’ll see you there,” he said. He looked like he was debating kissing her again, but settled for giving her hand a tender squeeze as he stepped away.

“’Kay. See you then.” Isabel gave a little wave, her cheeks flaming like a schoolgirl.

She watched Kyle walk away until he got to his police cruiser, and he turned around and smiled at her before getting inside. Isabel smiled and waved again, then got into her own car. Before starting it up, she gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath to try to calm herself down, but could do nothing about the grin that was spread wide across her face.

Her stomach turned in somersaults as she replayed the kiss over and over in her mind on her drive back to the school. She never would have imagined that a simple kiss could make her feel so alive. It had been so long since she’d been kissed like that, that she’d almost forgotten what it was like. To be kissed with such fervor, such emotion, such urgency, that it left her completely breathless.

Isabel smiled to herself at the sudden turn of events. Just two days ago, Kyle was nothing more than her friend and confidant, someone she trusted and relied on, never even stopping to think just how important he really was to her. Now he was… what was he? Was he her boyfriend now? Momentary panic seized Isabel as she asked herself what this meant for the next stage of their relationship. What if it just messed things up between them? Isabel couldn’t bear it if she lost Kyle… he meant too much to her. She shook her head to clear it of the negative thoughts. We’ll talk about everything tonight at dinner. Just hang on ‘til then.

The rest of the day couldn’t go by quickly enough for Isabel. She tried her best to concentrate on her work, but it was a losing battle. Thankfully, she didn’t have any appointments with students, just some paperwork to fill out, and she was able to get Madison’s help on some of it. She was finally able to escape her office shortly after four o’clock, and she quickly headed home, planning to stop by and see Emma before going to dinner with Kyle. She was eager to talk to her best friend about the new development.

She went to her own apartment first, checking her answering machine and feeding Freckles a can of his food, before going across the hall to Emma’s apartment. She knew Emma would be home, so she knocked a couple of times before opening the door and stepping inside. She and Emma very rarely waited for an answer before entering each other’s apartments. “Em?” Isabel called out.

Emma came around the corner from the kitchen, her cell phone to her ear. “Don’t worry, I know,” she was saying. “Look, I gotta go. I’ll call you later, okay?” She paused while the person on the other end of the line spoke and then said, “All right, bye.” She flipped the cell phone closed quickly, then greeted Isabel. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Everything all right?” Isabel asked, noticing that Emma seemed slightly flustered.

“Oh, yeah, fine,” Emma dismissed promptly with a wave of her hand, putting her cell phone into her purse. “You’re home early.”

“Yeah, I kind of have a date tonight,” Isabel said with a sly smile.

“A date? With who?”

Isabel just smiled knowingly at Emma, hoping she’d pick up the hint.

Emma caught on almost immediately. “Kyle?” she asked with excitement. “You and Kyle are going on a real date?”

Isabel simply nodded, the grin on her face growing exponentially.

“What happened? Just yesterday you told me I was crazy!” Emma said with a laugh, practically bouncing up and down.

Isabel laughed in response and said, “I know. But I guess what you said got me to thinking, and then last night I had this really vivid dream.” She shook her head at the memory of it, completely missing the smug smile that crossed Emma’s face. “Anyway, Kyle called this morning and asked me to meet him for lunch, and then this slutty waitress was totally coming on to him, and…” She paused and flippantly waved her hand, realizing she was babbling. “Anyway, long story short, he kissed me.”

“Oh my god!” Emma squealed. “How was it?”

“Emma, it was amazing,” Isabel said breathily, feeling her cheeks flush at the memory. “It was just…” she trailed off, unable to find the right words to describe the kiss. “Perfect,” she finally said.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you!” Emma exclaimed, grabbing Isabel into a hug. “Did I call it or what?”

“Yeah, I guess you did,” Isabel said with a smile.

“So what does this mean? Are you guys a couple now?”

“That’s what we’re going to talk about at dinner tonight.”

“Then what are we doing here talking? Let’s go get you ready for your date!” Emma exclaimed.

They both erupted into a fit of giggles as they headed back across the hall to Isabel’s apartment, so Isabel could find the perfect outfit to wear for her dinner with Kyle.

***

For the second time that day, Kyle waited in eager anticipation for Isabel to meet him. But this time his foot tapped out a rhythm in excitement rather than nervousness. Even though he had some reservations – as he was sure Isabel did too – he was more than ready to take their relationship to the next level. He knew it was risky, but he was willing to take that risk. He felt like he and Isabel could embark on something really special – he couldn’t quite explain how he knew, but it was something he could feel deep down inside.

He just hoped that she felt the same way. But judging from the kiss they shared and her reaction following, he felt pretty confident that she did share his feelings.

Kyle’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Isabel’s blue sedan pull into the parking lot. When she stepped out, Kyle knew that his earlier thought that she got more beautiful every time he saw her had been correct. She was dressed in a simple pair of black slacks and a white sleeveless blouse, and her blonde hair was loose and fell around her shoulders in waves. She waved and smiled when she saw him – a smile that lit up her whole face.

She greeted him with her customary hug and kiss on the cheek, and they went inside and were soon seated at a cozy booth for two. Kyle waited until the server had come to take their order before starting the conversation that he knew they were both anticipating.

“So…” Kyle started at the same time that Isabel said, “Kyle, I…”

They both laughed and Kyle said, “You go first.”

“I don’t even really know what I was going to say,” Isabel replied sheepishly, running her finger around the rim of her glass of water. “I just felt like I should say something.”

“Okay,” Kyle said, clearing his throat. “I guess I’ll start with the obvious. Where does this leave us?”

Isabel looked at him imploringly and asked hesitantly, “Where do you want it to leave us?”

“I know I didn’t say anything earlier when you told me about your… feelings. But what I should have said is that I feel the same way. I have for a while now.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Isabel said, a blush rising in her cheeks.

“Look, Iz,” he said, reaching across the table to grasp her hand in his, “I know this might be weird, and sudden, but… I’m crazy about you. And if you’re willing, then I’d really like to take this – us – to the next level.”

Isabel smiled tentatively and responded, “I’d like that too, Kyle. But…”

“What if it doesn’t work out?” Kyle finished for her.

“Yeah,” Isabel said with a nod.

“I’ve thought about that too. But… I don’t know. Something about this just feels right. Like it’s worth the risk. Don’t you feel it?”

Kyle watched as the smile crossed her face again, and felt his heart soar when she gave another nod, responding with a simple but meaningful, “Yes.”

They spent the rest of their meal in comfortable companionship, both reveling in the excitement of their newfound relationship. Kyle knew without a doubt that they were doing the right thing. He could feel it in his heart.

After dinner, Kyle walked Isabel out to her car and they made plans to get together over the weekend. “So does this mean you’ll go with me to Liz’s wedding?” Kyle asked Isabel as she was getting into her car.

“I am going with you to Liz’s wedding, silly,” Isabel replied teasingly.

“No, I mean… as my date.”

Isabel gave him one of her dazzling smiles that made his insides melt and answered, “I’d love to.”

***

The time for their departure to Roswell had finally arrived, and Isabel, Kyle, and Emma were seated in the airport lobby, awaiting their flight, which would begin boarding in about ten minutes. Emma had been able to get on the same flight as Isabel and Kyle, though she wouldn’t be sitting with them. Their flight would arrive in Roswell just after six o’clock p.m., and Isabel’s parents were picking them up. Isabel’s heart beat rapidly in excitement. Despite her initial hesitations, she was really glad that Kyle had convinced her to come.

Isabel suddenly realized that she had forgotten to cancel one of her appointments for Monday, and she sat up quickly and rummaged through her purse for her phone to call Madison.

“You okay?” Kyle asked at her sudden movement, looking up from the auto magazine he was reading.

“Yeah, I just forgot to take care of something at work,” Isabel responded, pulling her cell phone out of her bag. The display screen read Low Battery.

“Shit,” Isabel cursed softly to herself. “I knew I should have charged this thing last night.” Turning to Emma, she asked, “Em, can I borrow your cell phone? Mine’s almost dead.”

“Sure,” Emma said, and reached into her purse and handed Isabel her phone.

Isabel hastily dialed the number to her office, and breathed a sigh of relief when Madison answered on the second ring. “Madison, it’s Ms. Evans,” Isabel said. “I forgot to cancel one of my appointments on Monday morning. Could you call the student and reschedule for later in the week?”

“Oh, sure, Ms. Evans,” Madison replied. “What day…”

When Madison stopped talking suddenly, Isabel queried, “Madison? Madison, are you there?” Confused, Isabel removed the phone from her ear. Call Ended, the display read, and she realized that the signal was gone.

Isabel groaned in frustration and got up from her seat to walk around until she got a better signal. When she found a decent spot, she hit the send button to pull up the list of recent calls in order to redial the number easily. But something caught her eye that had her halting immediately.

Second on the recent calls list of Emma’s cell phone was the name Max.

Thanks as always for the fb!

I see we are starting form some theories about Emma! I'll go ahead and say that some of you are on the right track, though I won't say who, or even which board the fb is posted on.

Christian, can your inquiring mind hold out just a bit longer?
Pooh, try not to be too hard on Emma.
roswck, thanks! Keep on reading.
Polia, keep reading.
aussietasha77, thanks! Enjoy the next part.

Pooh and Christian, my fellow Buddha Boy lovers, I threw in a couple of lines in the plane scene just for you.


Part 8

Isabel’s mind was reeling. Why in the world would Emma have Max’s number stored in her cell phone? Sure, Isabel had talked to Emma about Max on occasion, but to her knowledge, they had never met. “Maybe it’s another Max,” Isabel murmured to herself, but as she wracked her brain, she couldn’t remember Emma ever having mentioned knowing someone named Max.

“Earth to Isabel.”

Isabel turned abruptly at the sound of Kyle’s voice behind her. “Hey,” he said. “It’s time to board. Didn’t you hear the announcement?”

“Oh, sorry, I guess I was distracted,” Isabel said.

“Is everything okay at work?” he asked with concern, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Fine,” Isabel replied, giving him a reassuring smile. “Where’s Emma?”

“She’s already boarding since her seat’s in the back. We need to go now.”

Isabel and Kyle gathered their things together, making their way onto the plane and to their seats. Soon they were settled and the plane began to taxi down the runway. Feeling her stomach lurch as the plane picked up speed, Isabel grasped the armrests of her seat tightly.

“Are you all right?” Kyle asked her, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Isabel gave an anxious laugh and responded, “I just forgot how nervous flying makes me. I hate this part.”

“Oh, come on, this is the best part,” Kyle said, an excited gleam in his eye.

Isabel just looked at him and rolled her eyes, gripping the armrests tighter and taking a deep breath.

“So I guess you wouldn’t be interested in joining the Mile High Club then?”

“Kyle!” Isabel exclaimed, reaching over to slap his arm.

“Kidding!” Kyle said, rubbing his arm where she had hit him. “Ouch.”

“Oh, stop it. That didn’t hurt.”

Kyle chuckled and managed to release Isabel’s tight grip on her armrest, entwining their fingers together. “Relax,” he told her. “It’s going to be fine.”

Isabel breathed a sigh and gave Kyle a grateful smile.

Then Kyle added with a suggestive raise of his eyebrow, “And if you get really scared, you can always jump in my lap.”

Isabel let out a genuine laugh, playfully hitting his arm again. Then, turning serious, she said, “Thanks for convincing me to do this.”

“Anytime,” Kyle said with a smile, leaning over and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

***

“And this one is when Isabel won the sixth grade spelling bee. She was always such a smart girl.”

“Mom, will you stop?” Isabel asked good-naturedly. “I’m sure Emma doesn’t want to hear about all of my childhood achievements.”

It was later that evening, and Diane Evans and Emma were practically best friends already. Mrs. Evans was currently showing Emma all of the framed pictures that decorated the mantle above the fireplace, proudly pointing out all of the accomplishments of her two children.

“Are you kidding?” Emma said. “Getting to see what you were like as a youngster? This is great!”

Isabel just rolled her eyes in slight embarrassment, and Mrs. Evans replied, “Okay, I’ll stop. I’m sure you girls are tired from your trip anyway. Izzie, why don’t you take Emma to Max’s room, and show her where everything is? And while you’re doing that, I’ll bake up some brownies for a little snack.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Isabel said, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Come on, Em,” she said, grabbing her suitcases and leading the way down the hall. She dropped her own suitcases on the floor in her room before showing Emma into Max’s old room. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she looked at the rooms. They looked exactly like they had when she and Max were teenagers. Their parents hadn’t changed a thing.

“The bathroom joins the two rooms,” Isabel told Emma. “And knowing my mother, anything that you could possibly need is probably already in there,” she added with a laugh.

“Thanks,” Emma said, tossing her suitcase onto the bed and unzipping it. “Your mom’s really sweet.”

“Yeah, she is.”

“Oh, hey, do you still have my cell phone?” Emma asked.

“Oh,” Isabel responded, and she suddenly remembered her discovery right before they boarded the plane. In all the hustle and bustle of the plane ride, and greeting her parents at the airport, and saying goodbye to Kyle when they dropped him off at his dad’s, she’d completely forgotten about it.

“Yeah, about that,” Isabel said as she delved into her purse in search of the phone. “Why do you have my brother’s number stored in your phone?”

Isabel thought she detected a look of panic momentarily cross Emma’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Oh,” Emma said, busying herself with taking clothes out of her suitcase. “Um, I got it out of your cell phone a few years ago. I wanted to get you something really special for your birthday, and I wanted advice from someone who knew you really well, so I called Max, and he helped me out.”

“Oh, okay,” Isabel said, her brow furrowed. “But why was he in the recent calls list? I mean, I wasn’t snooping or anything,” she added quickly. “I was just redialing the number to my office and I happened to see it.”

“Well, sometimes I still talk to him. He’s a pretty cool guy.”

Isabel studied Emma as she methodically unpacked her things. She didn’t want to think that her best friend was lying to her, but something about the story just didn’t seem right. “How come you never told me that you talk to him?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Emma replied with a shrug. “You just never seem too eager to talk much about your family or Roswell. I guess I just didn’t know how you’d feel about it.”

Isabel didn’t know how to respond to that. First of all, she had never even realized how truly little Emma knew about her life before San Francisco. Secondly, she was somewhat hurt by the knowledge that her best friend was keeping things from her. Maybe it wasn’t anything monumental, but it still stung.

Deciding to leave it alone for the time being, she said to Emma, “Well, I’m gonna go unpack. Just come get me if you need anything.”

“Okay,” Emma said. “Thanks for inviting me, Iz.”

“I’m glad you came,” Isabel told her, and Emma flashed her a genuine smile.

Isabel walked through the adjoining bathroom to her old bedroom, telling herself that she was just being paranoid.

***

Later, Isabel was in her bedroom, perusing through an old yearbook, when a masculine voice startled her. Turning around, she saw Kyle standing in the doorway.

“Hey,” she said, closing the book and putting it on the nightstand. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to spend some time with your dad.”

“I just wanted to see you,” he said. “Besides, it’s only been a couple of months since I left town. He hasn’t really had time to miss me yet.” Then he turned to shut the door behind him.

“What are you doing?” Isabel asked.

“I’m closing the door,” he answered, looking perplexed.

“But my parents are right down the hall!”

“Isabel,” he said with a smirk, “you’re 28 years old. I think it’s okay for you to have your boyfriend in your room with the door closed.”

Isabel looked wary, but also couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. When Kyle looked at her questioningly, she clarified, “You just called yourself my boyfriend.”

“And that’s funny?”

“Just kinda surreal, I guess,” Isabel said, a timid smile gracing her face.

“So, as your boyfriend,” Kyle said, approaching her and pulling her body flush against his, “that means I can kiss you whenever I want, right?” She wrapped her arms around him as he placed a soft open-mouthed kiss on her neck.

“Mmm,” Isabel hummed happily. “I might be persuaded to let you do that.”

“Oh yeah?” he mumbled as he trailed more kisses along her neck, stopping to nibble slightly on her ear.

“Oh yeah,” Isabel breathed, grasping his face in her hands and meeting his lips in a searing kiss.

He kissed her back hungrily, gently urging her backwards until she felt her legs touch the edge of the bed. Isabel eased herself down onto the soft mattress, and Kyle eagerly followed her. Isabel lay down on the bed, the feel of Kyle’s hands on her body the only thing she could focus on. She ran her fingers through the soft tendrils of his hair, his hand resting lightly on her thigh.

Slowly and almost hesitantly, Kyle moved his hand up the side of her body, and Isabel shivered in delight. Wordlessly urging him onward, she arched her body up into his, moaning softly into his ear. Feeling encouraged, he brought his hand up to gently cup her breast, kneading it tenderly through the thin fabric of her blouse. “Kyle…” Isabel breathed, bringing her lips back to his and kissing him fervently.

Their legs were tangled together, and Isabel sensuously ran her foot up the side of his leg, arching her body again, eager for Kyle to keep touching her. She ran her hands over his chest, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt so that she could feel the skin beneath.

Two quick knocks on the bedroom door and a sudden entrance had them abruptly pulling apart. “Hey, Iz…”

Isabel looked up into the stunned face of her brother, and Kyle quickly pulled away, removing his hands from any part of Isabel’s body. “Max!” Isabel exclaimed.

“Uh… sorry,” Max mumbled. “I should have… yeah… I’m… gonna go.” He quickly made his escape.

Isabel’s cheeks flamed in humiliation and she covered her face with her hands. “Oh, god,” she moaned in embarrassment.

Kyle collapsed back onto the bed, heaving a sigh. Looking over at Isabel, he said, “Okay, you were right. No more making out in your room with the door closed.”

Despite her discomfiture, Isabel couldn’t help but laugh.

Thanks for the fb!

Christian, lots of questions! Hm, maybe you'll get a few answers in this part.
Polia, keep reading to find out!
roswck, you'll get the answer to your question in this part.
Pooh, you might garner a little sympathy for Emma in this part.
killjoy, thanks! Enjoy the next part.
Lisa, thanks for the note, my fellow Sister Hazel lover!


Author’s Note: Since I never actually mentioned it in the story, I just want to clarify that Max is a lawyer, and works in his dad’s firm.


Part 9

Isabel and Kyle stepped out onto the front porch and saw Max sitting on the bench by the front window. Isabel gave Kyle’s hand a squeeze and said, “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“’Kay. Night,” he said, leaving a quick kiss on her cheek. “See ya, Max,” he called out. Max nodded and gave a little wave, though Isabel noticed that they both seemed to be avoiding eye contact with one another. She shook her head and tried to stifle her laughter.

After Kyle was gone, Isabel went and sat down next to Max on the bench, greeting him with an awkward, “Hey.”

“Welcome home,” he said, his lips curving upward into an embarrassed smile. “So, you and Kyle, huh?”

“Yeah,” Isabel responded bashfully, looking down at her shoes.

“How long have you two… been… together?” Max asked.

“Not long. A couple of weeks, I guess,” Isabel replied with a shrug.

“I’m sorry about before,” he said, looking at her. “I should have waited for you to answer before just barging in.”

Isabel gave a little laugh and said, “It’s okay. Though that’s not exactly how I wanted you to find out about us. I figured I’d sit you down and tell you. You know, kinda how you told me that you and Liz weren’t together anymore?” She gave him a self-satisfied smirk.

“Did I forget to mention that?” he asked sheepishly, giving her a pitiful look.

Isabel smiled and gave him a playful shove, but then turned serious. “Why didn’t you ever tell me? My jaw nearly hit the floor when I got an invite to Liz’s wedding to Sean.”

“I’m sorry,” Max apologized. “It’s just… when you left, you seemed pretty eager to put Roswell behind you. I didn’t really want to bother you with insignificant things.”

Isabel opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. For the second time that night, she was rendered speechless. First Emma, and now Max. Had she really been so determined to turn her back on her past, that even her best friend and her own brother walked on eggshells when it came to talking about it?

“Max, how can you say that?” she asked when she finally found her voice. “A break up between you and Liz is not insignificant!” He gave her an apologetic look, and she asked, “What happened? I only got the Cliffnotes version from Kyle.”

Max sighed and said, “We just drifted apart. Just… after… Alex died, we’d already hurt each other too much. Damaged the trust and faith that used to be between us. We tried to make it work, we really did.”

Isabel placed a comforting hand on his knee at the sad tone of his voice. “I still love her,” he continued on, “and I probably always will. But all I ever wanted was for her to be happy. Sean makes her happy. He gets her in a way that I don’t think I ever did. And he’s a really good guy, despite what a lot of people think.”

“But how can you watch them get married?”

“Well, it’s not going to be a walk in the park, that’s for sure,” he said, giving her a sad smile. “But, really, I’m happy for them. And at least I still have Liz’s friendship… and that’s better than nothing at all.”

Isabel turned to look at him. “Well, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

“There’s a new paralegal at mine and Dad’s office. Her name’s Kristin. She’s made it pretty clear that’s she’s interested. And she’s nice… and smart. I don’t know, maybe I’ll ask her out.”

“You should,” Isabel told him, as she tried to wrap her head around how much things had changed in her absence. “What about Maria and Michael? And Tess?” she asked.

Max gave a small chuckle as he replied, “Maria and Michael’s on-again off-again relationship is currently on. They actually just moved into an apartment together in Albuquerque. Tess is still here in Roswell, but I don’t know. She seems so lost lately. She’s not happy. I worry about her.” He looked at Isabel and said, “You should call her while you’re in town. I know she’d love to hear from you.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” Isabel said with a nod.

“Izzie,” Diane interrupted, stepping out onto the porch. “You have a phone call. It’s Liz.”

“Liz?” Isabel questioned, taking the cordless phone from her mother. She turned a questioning gaze to Max, but he just shrugged. She put the phone to her ear and greeted, “Hello?”

“Isabel, hi!” Liz answered in a voice that Isabel could only describe as much too cheerful. “I heard you got into town today. How was your trip?”

“Um, it was good,” Isabel answered, still confused as to why Liz would be calling her. “Thanks.”

“I’m glad,” Liz said. “Listen, I was just calling because I wanted to invite you to the bridesmaids’ luncheon tomorrow.”

Isabel was taken aback by Liz’s kind offer, and didn’t know what to say. “Oh, Liz, I couldn’t,” Isabel responded. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“Don’t be silly! I’d love to see you and catch up before everything gets crazy on Saturday. And you can bring your friend. What’s her name, Emily?”

“Emma,” Isabel corrected.

“Yes, Emma! Please, tell her she’s welcome to come too. We’re meeting at the Tea Room at one o’clock. Please say you’ll come.”

Isabel hesitated, and glanced at Max for reasons unknown. He was gazing out into the front yard, seemingly uninterested in her telephone conversation. “Um, okay, sure,” Isabel finally agreed. “I’ll meet you there at one.”

“Great! See you then,” Liz responded.

Isabel ended the phone call and told Max, “She invited me to the bridesmaids’ luncheon tomorrow.”

“That was nice of her,” Max commented.

“Max, are you sure you’re okay with this?” Isabel asked. “This all feels so weird to me. Like I’m betraying you.”

“Isabel, I told you, I’m fine. You should see the girls and catch up.” Then he glanced at his watch and said, “Look, I have to run. I have some files I need to work on tonight. But I’ll come over for breakfast in the morning.”

“Okay,” Isabel replied, and they exchanged a brief hug. “Good night, Max.”

***

The next morning and afternoon seemed to fly by in a blur. Isabel started the day by having breakfast with her parents, Max, and Emma. It felt like old times being with her family, and Emma fit in like she’d been there all along. She was as charming as always, and Mr. and Mrs. Evans had taken an instant liking to her.

Isabel extended Liz’s invitation for Emma to join them at the bridesmaids’ luncheon, but Emma declined, saying that she didn’t want to intrude. She insisted that Isabel go ahead without her, and Max offered to keep Emma entertained while Isabel was gone, maybe show her around town. Isabel thought it was a little odd for Max to offer, but she didn’t say anything. Her suspicion that something was up with those two kept nagging at the back of her mind.

Isabel joined Liz and her wedding party for lunch at the Tea Room, and ended up having a very nice time. Nancy Parker and Amy DeLuca were also in attendance, as was Maria, who would, of course, be serving as Liz’s maid of honor. Two of Liz’s friends from college, Jessica Ponton and Ashley Harke, were the bridesmaids.

Liz was working as a high school science teacher in Albuquerque, and she and Isabel found that they both had some amusing stories from the high school environment. Maria and Michael, who were also living in Albuquerque, owned and operated a small bar and nightclub, where Maria would sometimes perform. Despite their constant bickering as a couple, they made an excellent business team.

Isabel confessed to Liz her shock at the impending nuptials, but Liz didn’t seem surprised. Apparently, that had been most people’s reaction after Sean popped the question, saying “he wasn’t the marrying type.” But Isabel could tell that Max was right – Liz was happy. And if Max could be okay with that, Isabel decided that she could too.

After the luncheon, Isabel bid farewell to everyone, wishing Liz good luck for the big day, and promising to see her at the reception. She made a quick call to Kyle from her cell phone, made plans for dinner, and then headed back to her parents’ house.

***

Back at the Evans’ home, Emma was perusing a bookshelf in Max’s old bedroom, noting the many classic pieces of literature. “You were a geek in high school, weren’t you?” she teased Max, who was lounging in the desk chair with his feet propped on the bed.

“Funny,” Max responded with an affable scowl.

Emma giggled, and the room fell silent as she continued to look at Max’s things, getting an idea of what he might have been like as a teenager. But something had been weighing at the back of her mind all day, so she decided to broach the subject.

“Max, I’ve been thinking,” Emma said, breaking the silence. “I think maybe we should tell Isabel the truth about us. I’m tired of lying to her.”

Max looked caught off guard by Emma’s request and sudden change in demeanor, and she continued on. “I think she’s starting to suspect that something’s up anyway. She found your number stored in my cell phone, and started asking questions.”

“What did you tell her?” Max asked.

“I gave her some lame story about you helping me pick out a birthday present for her. I don’t really think she believed me though.”

“I don’t know,” Max said warily. “It’s just going to upset her.”

“Max, she’s my best friend! I can’t stand this secret between us anymore. I don’t like her looking at me like she can’t trust me.”

“I know, I know. Do you think I like lying to my own sister? But if we tell her, she’s going to be hurt, and she’s going to be pissed,” Max said. “It’s going to hurt her that we kept something this big from her for so long.”

“It’s going to hurt her even more if she finds out on her own,” Emma pointed out. “She knows that something is up. Max, we have to tell her.”

When Max didn’t respond right away, she continued, “I told Aidan everything before I left to come here.”

Max’s mouth opened in an inaudible gasp. “Everything?” he asked, and Emma nodded.

“And don’t even try to tell me that I shouldn’t have,” she said before Max could lecture her. “He’s my husband, and he deserves to know.”

Pushing his concerns aside for the moment, Max laid a concerned hand on Emma’s arm and asked, “How did he take it?”

“Could have been better, could have been worse, I guess,” Emma replied. “He was upset at first, and more than a little freaked. It’ll take some time, but I think he’s gonna be okay. We’re going to talk more about it when I get back home.”

“I’m sorry,” Max replied sympathetically.

“More than anything, it was such a weight off my shoulders, Max,” Emma said, searching his face for some understanding. “Don’t you see why I really need to tell Isabel? I need her to know the truth.”

***

Just outside of the door, Isabel’s heart beat madly inside her chest at the conversation she’d just overheard between her brother and her best friend. Her mind was swirling with all sorts of scenarios, but only one was standing out. It couldn’t be… could it?

“Hey.”

Isabel nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Kyle’s voice behind her. “God, you scared the crap out of me!” she scolded him in a whisper.

“What’s going on?” Kyle asked in a low voice. “Why are you whispering? And why are you lurking here in the hallway?”

Isabel grabbed Kyle by the arm and pulled him back toward the front of the house, and out the door to the porch. Looking perplexed, Kyle asked, “Iz, what is going on?”

Isabel took a deep breath of the fresh afternoon air and looked at Kyle with wide eyes. She spoke in a hushed voice, as if she was afraid someone might be listening.

“Kyle,” she said, “something’s going on with Max and Emma.”

“What do you mean?”

Isabel took another breath and said, “I think they might be having an affair.”

Sorry for the delay, guys. In addition to this part, I was working on a new story, which I'll probably be posting tomorrow. Thanks for all the fb!

Christian, you won't quite get all the backstory yet. It'll be a couple of more parts before you find out how Max and Emma met, etc.
killjoy, phew, another Sean lover! I'm a Dreamer at heart, but I always thought that Liz and Sean could have been good together... I think he understood her in a way that Max didn't.
roswck, Tess wasn't invovled in Alex's death. For the purposes of this story, we're just assuming that Alex's death really was an accident.
Annie, welcome to the story! You know, writing this is really giving me an unhealthy Kyle obsession. But there are worse things, right? Read on for the answers to your questions. And I will probably get to Tess in the next part.


Author’s Note: Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping it was a set-up, but I’m afraid the Sean/Liz wedding is real. Can’t help it… I always had a soft spot for those two. And drum roll please… it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! (Well, sort of. ) I know you’ll probably still have some questions after this part, but I promise they’ll all be answered in due time. Enjoy!


Part 10

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony.”

Isabel and Kyle watched from their seats in the center of the church as the minister presided over the nuptials of Liz Parker and Sean DeLuca. Liz looked radiant in her white dress and veil, and Sean looked happier than anyone had ever seen him. If Isabel had had any doubts, all it took was seeing them together to know that this was real. They were obviously very much in love.

She chanced a glance at Max, who was sitting on the other side of Emma, to see how he was holding up. His face held a stoic expression, so it was hard for Isabel to gauge how he was handling things. She would just check with him at the reception.

The ceremony was short and sweet, and soon everyone was headed to the country club across town for the wedding reception. A receiving line was set up at the entrance, and Isabel offered her congratulations to the newlyweds.

The next hour was a whirlwind of activity. Speeches were made by the wedding party, and the bride and groom danced their first dance together as husband and wife. Isabel chatted briefly with Maria and Michael, and she saw Tess, and they made plans to have lunch the next day before Isabel had to leave town on Monday. Isabel also saw numerous other people that she had known in high school, and she was soon exhausted.

“Tired?” Kyle asked her as he returned to their table after talking with some of his old co-workers from the sheriff’s office. He handed her a glass of punch.

“Thanks,” Isabel replied, taking the glass. “Yeah, who knew catching up with old friends could be so exhausting?”

“Too tired to dance?” Kyle asked with a smile.

Isabel couldn’t resist the look on his handsome face, and she took his proffered hand, following him to the dance floor. He pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Are you glad you came?” Kyle asked into her ear.

“Yeah,” Isabel said. “I don’t know why…” she trailed off as her attention was distracted when she saw Emma pulling Max by his hand out to the patio.

“Why what?” Kyle asked her.

“What are they up to?” Isabel asked, more to herself than to Kyle.

“Who?” Kyle asked in confusion, following her gaze.

Isabel suddenly decided she’d had enough of secrets. She was going to find out what was going on. Right here, right now.

“Isabel, where are you going?” Kyle asked, following her off of the dance floor.

“I’m going to confront them.”

“What, right now?” Kyle asked. “Are you sure this is the best time?”

“Yes,” Isabel responded as she made a beeline for the patio, Kyle following close behind. She stepped out into the warm sunshine, and saw Max and Emma talking quietly in the corner.

She approached her brother and her best friend, and didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “Okay, I know something is going on with you two, and I want to know what it is.”

“What?” Emma asked, obviously caught off guard with Isabel’s abrupt confrontation.

“Are you having an affair? Is that what it is?”

Max looked taken aback and responded, “Isabel, you’re being paranoid.”

“Am I?” Isabel asked, glaring at her brother. “I don’t think I am. You two have been keeping something from me for God knows how long. I heard you talking in your room yesterday… something about not wanting to tell me because I would be pissed. Well, let me tell you something, Max. I’m already pissed.” Kyle hung back as Isabel continued her tirade. “So just tell me the truth… are you having an affair?”

“Isabel, would you listen to yourself?” Emma asked pleadingly. “We are not having an affair!”

“Then what is it? Just stop lying and tell me the truth. I know the whole birthday present story was a load of bull.”

Max and Emma exchanged a look, and Isabel crossed her arms over her chest. “Well?”

Max cleared his throat uncomfortably and lowered his voice, saying, “Isabel, Emma’s one of us.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m an alien, Isabel,” Emma said, her eyes pleading with Isabel to understand. “Like you and Max and Michael and Tess.”

Isabel’s face paled and she stumbled backwards. Kyle caught her arm and held onto her for support, though his own heart was racing at Emma’s admission.

When Isabel didn’t say anything, Emma continued on, “My Antarian name is Serina. I’m a protector of the granilith.”

“I asked her to watch out for you in San Francisco,” Max admitted.

“I… I don’t believe you,” Isabel said, her voice wavering.

In response, Emma looked around the patio to make sure they were alone, then reached out to touch the boutonnière that was pinned to Kyle’s jacket, turning it from red to white.

Emma looked to Isabel for some sort of response, and when she got nothing, she said, “This doesn’t change anything, Iz.”

Isabel shook her head, tears welling up in her brown eyes. “This changes everything,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper, backing away.

“Isabel, please, let’s talk about this… let us explain,” Emma pleaded.

Isabel simply shook her head again. “I… can’t… I can’t do this…” she stuttered as she walked away.

When Max and Emma moved to follow her, Kyle put up a hand to stop them. “Leave her alone for now,” he said. “I’ll go talk to her.”

Kyle jogged back inside to catch up with Isabel, and he caught sight of her exiting the ballroom into the lobby. “Isabel!” he called out. “Isabel, wait!” He caught her by the arm and she turned face him, and he could tell that she was just barely holding it together, tears waiting to spill from her eyes at any minute.

“Where are you going?” he asked her.

“I don’t know. I just need to get out of here,” she said.

“Let me take you somewhere.”

“No, I just need be alone,” she said, heading for the exit.

“Isabel…”

“I’ll call you later,” she said without turning around.

She left Kyle standing alone in the lobby, feeling completely helpless.

***

Later that night, after the day’s celebrations were long over, Kyle lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. It was well after midnight, but he couldn’t sleep a wink. He’d waited all evening in the hopes that maybe Isabel would call him or come by, but she hadn’t. He had debated going to see her, but figured she needed some time to think. He just hoped she’d come to him when she was ready.

He was interrupted from his musings when he heard the click of his bedroom door, and looked up to see a shadowy figure in the archway. Squinting his eyes, he questioned, “Dad?”

“No, it’s me,” he heard Isabel say, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Did I wake you?”

“No, I couldn’t sleep. How’d you get in, anyway?”

“I used my powers,” she replied sheepishly. She entered the room, closing the door behind her. Without turning on any lights, she quietly padded across the room, lifting the covers and climbing into the bed with Kyle. He didn’t ask her where she’d been or what she’d been doing, just shifted his body to give her space, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

Isabel wordlessly shook her head.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head again.

“’Cause you know I’m here for you, right?”

“I know,” she whispered, tracing an invisible pattern on his bare chest with her forefinger.

They lay in the silent darkness for long moments, both lost in their thoughts. Kyle rubbed his hand in a soothing motion up and down Isabel’s arm, and Isabel continued her ministrations on his chest. Her hand soon joined her finger as she lightly caressed his chest, and Kyle’s breathing became quicker as his body reacted to her touch. Isabel must have felt the change too, because she ran her hand up his chest to cup his cheek, pulling his face to hers in a sweet kiss.

He pulled her body tighter against his as she deepened the kiss, their tongues gently stroking each other. Hands roamed their bodies… touching, caressing… and soon Isabel was pulling her shirt from her body. Kyle was momentarily awestruck at the sight of her perfect breasts covered by a pale pink bra. Instinct quickly took over, however, as he gently caressed her flesh, eliciting a moan from Isabel. She arched her body up into his, no doubt feeling the effect that their make-out session was having on his body.

Kyle reverently released the front clasp of Isabel’s bra and removed the garment, drinking in the sight of her beautiful body. He kissed her softly on her lips, trailing his kisses down until his lips made contact with a pert nipple. Isabel gasped at the first feel of Kyle’s tongue on her body, bringing her hands up to tangle in his hair.

“Kyle, do you have anything?” Isabel asked breathlessly.

“Hm?” Kyle mumbled against her breast.

“Protection,” she clarified.

Kyle broke free of his cloud of lust to look up into Isabel’s face. For the first time since she’d shown up in his bedroom, the moonlight cast a soft glow on her face, and he noticed that her eyes were red-rimmed. She’d been crying.

“Oh, god, Iz. We can’t do this,” he said, pushing a strand of hair away from her face.

“What?”

He gave her a sad smile and said, “When we do… have sex… it should be because we both really want it.”

“Don’t you want to?” Isabel asked, sounding self-conscious.

“Of course I want to!” Kyle responded quickly, realizing what his remark must have sounded like. “You have no idea how bad I want to. But right now, you’re upset over this thing with Max and Emma… and you’re vulnerable… and when we do take that step, I want it to be about us… only us.”

“God, you’re right,” Isabel mumbled, covering her face with her hands. “Oh, I’m so embarrassed.” She looked into Kyle’s face and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed or sorry. It’s not everyday I have a gorgeous, half-naked woman in my bed,” he said playfully.

Isabel gave a half-hearted laugh and reached up to place her hand on Kyle’s cheek. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “Most guys would have taken advantage of the situation.”

“Well, I’m not most guys.”

“I know,” she replied softly, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. Looking into his eyes again, she asked, “Could you just hold me?”

In answer, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she rested her head on his chest. Placing a kiss to her forehead, he responded, “’Til you tell me to let go.”